Islamophobia
is real. You may have personally experienced it or know a family member, friend
or acquaintance who has. This new racism must be made known and fought against.
Here are a couple of ways to combat this phenomenon:

1. Remember
the Prophet. The Prophet was subject to horrible insults and hate crimes in his
lifetime. He remained steadfast, patient and tolerant in the face of this
Islamophobia. We must model this same behavior.

Good and
Evil deeds are not alike. Requite evil with good, and he who is your enemy will
become your dearest friend. But none will attain this save those who endure
with fortitude and are greatly favored by God. (Quran 41: 34-35)

Pray
that God guides these people who mock the Deen and one of God’s Prophet.

2. Note
that incidents of Islamophobia are not isolated. Whether it's threat of bombing Makkah, calling Islam evil, depicting the
Prophet as a terrorist, disrespecting the Quran, discriminating against Muslims, profiling Hindus, Sikhs, or Latinos thinking they look like Muslims, torturing prisoners, bombing
civilians, these are all signs of Islamophobia.

3. Also note that not all media or all non-Muslims support
this type of insulting behavior. Many have been at the forefront of
condemning torture, bombing and occupation. There are 75 million Americans who, despite all Islamophobic media, think positive about Islam and Muslims.

4. Equate racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. They all
are fruits of the same tree of hate.

5. Start using the word Islamophobia to describe any kind of
hate crime or speech against Islam and Muslims. Doing this will make the
term uniform and eventually, an accepted part of the English language the
way the term "anti-Semitism" is.

6. If you are involved in interfaith work, bring up the topic
of Islamophobia at your meetings. Stress the urgency and need for people
of all faiths to help address and condemn it and all other forms of
intolerance publicly. If possible, get the organization to issue a public
statement condemning Islamophobia in general, as well as in response to
specific incidents like those mentioned above.

7. Sponsor reports on Islamophobia. Unless more documentation
and yearly opinion surveys are conducted, people will continue to dismiss
Islamophobia as a reality. So far, the UK is the only country which has
officially commissioned a report on Islamophobia. The word has yet to
become a part of American media.

9. Report any and every incident of Islamophobia you, your
family or friends encounter. The FBI collects hate crime statistics.
Report Islamophobia to them at your local FBI office. File a report with the Council on
American-Islamic Relations. They issue
an annual report on Muslim civil rights in the US. Also report the crime
to your local police office.

10. If it's an election year, make sure your local Congressman
or Congresswoman who relies on your vote is aware of Islamophobia.
Organize a delegation of Muslims in your constituency if you can and
arrange to make a presentation on the topic, as well as a list of clear
things you would like your Congressman or Congresswoman to do about
Islamophobia if they want your vote.

11.For every incident of Islamophobia, write a letter to the
editor and your local civil rights organization about it.

12. Organize a program at your local mosque or community
center about the problem of Islamophobia today. Hold a brainstorming
session as part of the program as well to discuss how to solve this
problem.

13. Thank those who speak out or act against Islamophobia. A
quick call, even leaving a message and/or a two-line email message are
sufficient.

14. Make Dua that Allah guides those who hold Islamophobic
views and practice Islamophobia. The Prophet made Dua for the Quraysh,
asking for them to be guided because they were ignorant of what they were
doing by committing Islamophobic acts and saying wrong things against
Islam and the Prophet.